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The Eightfold Path
The path of monastic life is the path of ethics, of spirituality, a nonviolent revolution based on the mental formation of non-harming (ahimsa/avihimsa) – that is, the mind of great compassion, not causing harm to oneself or to any living beings. Among the fifty-one mental formations, non-harming is the last wholesome mental formation in the group of eleven wholesome mental formations, equivalent to the mind of great compassion. Non-harming is not passive resignation; it requires a readiness to sacrifice oneself in order to save living beings. Siddhartha (the Buddha) refused the political machinery, which was full of craving, anger, and ignorance, choosing first the spiritual path, and only then helping the world. Although not crushed by the machinery of politics, a monastic can still become lost in the machinery of study and practice, causing the beginner’s mind – the original bodhi mind – to wither away if there is a lack of right thinking and mindfulness.
The path of the eightfold noble practice (The Noble Eightfold Path) is presented through three closely connected elements:
- mindfulness – the capacity to dwell in the present moment in order to recognize all motivations, freeing oneself from craving, anger, ignorance, and the pursuit of fame and gain
- concentration – maintaining insight into impermanence, non-self, and interdependent co-arising in each breath, each step, each action
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insight – arising from concentration, a view that is in accord with reality, giving rise to the true substance of the mind of loving kindness and compassion
Practicing mindfulness–concentration–insight helps us generate love each day, so that our words, actions, and the only legacy we leave behind when we “pass away” is not worldly achievements, but a compassionate heart, words of forgiveness, and actions that relieve suffering.
